ABSTRACT
A new challenge is the detection of antileukemic activity of some organotin compounds. One of the underlying ideas was that organotin compounds with biological anionic ligands might possess favorable properties to be readily transported in body fluids or through membranes. Structures of organotin compounds of mercaptoamino acids are principally different from those of amino acids having no free mercapto group, since the organotin moiety primarily is bonding to sulfur. The very limited solubility of many of the organotin compounds, discussed in the preceding, can be related to their polymeric nature. The apical positions are occupied by oxygen and by nitrogen, while the equatorial plane is made up by two organo groups R and by sulfur or by nitrogen. The trigonal-bipyramidal environment of the tin atom in the solid-state structures is formally comparable in all these compounds. Activity would then be effected finally by transformations of the solid compound to an active species in situ.
